Speech and Language Therapy in Turkey

Speech and Language Therapy (Dil ve Konuşma Terapisi) in Turkey is a four-year health-sciences bachelor's, mostly taught in Turkish, with English-taught tracks at Biruni and Medipol. Published bachelor's fees on this page range from $2,700 to $8,500 a year, and 2026/27-labelled lists start at $4,000. Turkish law defines the speech and language therapist as a health professional, so clinical placements are a large part of the degree.

The programme trains therapists who assess and treat speech, language, voice, fluency and swallowing disorders in children and adults. Under Law No. 1219, a speech and language therapist is a health professional who graduated from a bachelor's programme in the field (or completed a master's or doctorate in it after another bachelor's) and rehabilitates swallowing, language and speech disorders diagnosed by the relevant specialist physician.

Because patients and supervisors speak Turkish, most clinical training happens in Turkish even when lectures are in English. International students who choose an English track should still plan to reach working Turkish before the clinical years.

Curricula follow the same broad logic across faculties of health sciences; the balance between lectures and supervised practice shifts toward the clinic each year.

Ask each university where placements happen: an own university hospital, rehabilitation centres, special-education schools or private clinics. The number of supervised clinical hours and the range of age groups you will treat are the best quality signals.

• Secondary-school certificate and transcript with translation; many universities set a minimum grade, such as 50% at İstinye for non-medical programmes or 3 out of 5 for CIS attestats at Üsküdar.
• Proof of Turkish for Turkish tracks, often at B2 from a university TÖMER or the Yunus Emre Institute for undergraduate entry; Haliç lists TÖMER C1 for its Turkish programmes.
• Proof of English for English tracks, for example TOEFL iBT 75, IELTS Academic 6.0 or PTE 55 for exemption at İstinye; otherwise a preparatory year.
• At registration, the high-school equivalence certificate (denklik) issued through a Turkish embassy or a Ministry of National Education directorate.
• For master's and PhD entry: a relevant bachelor's, grades above the university's threshold and, at İstinye, an English exam score for thesis programmes plus C1 Turkish for Turkish-taught doctorates.

Biology and a good command of language at school help more than any exam score. If you are unsure between this programme and audiology or occupational therapy, compare the placement settings: speech therapy centres on communication and swallowing, audiology on hearing and balance.

1. A year before. Plan how you will reach working Turkish before the clinical years, even if you choose an English-taught track.
2. Six to nine months before. Take the language test the university accepts and gather translated school documents.
3. Application. Apply online to each shortlisted university; the university decides admission.
4. After acceptance. Pay the deposit the letter asks for and apply for a student visa; the consulate decides.
5. On arrival. Register, obtain denklik and apply for the residence permit, which the migration authority decides.

• Clinical network. An on-campus speech and language clinic or a university hospital shortens the path to supervised cases.
• Language of the clinic. Even on an English track, ask in which language your patients will be treated.
• Staff qualifications. Check how many lecturers are themselves speech and language therapists rather than physicians or psychologists.
• Campus location. İstinye teaches the programme at its Topkapı campus; commute time to placements adds up over four years.
• Graduate pathway. Universities with master's and PhD programmes in the field, such as Üsküdar, İstinye and Bahçeşehir, tend to run more research clinics.

Sources: Haliç University, İstanbul Gelişim University, Biruni University, Üsküdar University, İstanbul Atlas University, İstanbul Medipol University, Nişantaşı University, İstinye University, Bahçeşehir University, Bahçeşehir University (programme page). Ankara Medipol and Mudanya fees come from their own 2026–2027 international fee tables; Mudanya applies a 20% early-registration price until 30 November 2026, while the table keeps its standard fee.

Graduate fees are mostly charged for the whole programme; Atlas does not state the basis in its list, so confirm it in writing. Add housing, insurance, residence-permit costs and possible preparatory study to your budget.

Speech and language therapists work in hospitals, rehabilitation and special-education centres, schools, private practices and tele-therapy services. Common specialisms are child language, autism and communication, stuttering, voice, neurological disorders and dysphagia.

Practice is regulated. In Turkey the profession is defined in Law No. 1219, and foreign nationals need a work permit and the professional authorisations that apply to health staff before they can treat patients. If you plan to work in another country, check the regulator there before enrolling: many require recognition of the diploma, proof of clinical hours and a language test in the local language.

Keep a log of your supervised hours, patient groups and case reports from the first placement. That record is often what a foreign regulator asks for.